(OSKALOOSA, Iowa, Oct. 24)--The McKendree University football team reeled off its seventh consecutive victory with a 24-14 win Saturday at William Penn University.
The Bearcats built a 21-0 lead in the third quarter and held off a rally by the host Statesmen in taking the 10-point win. McKendree, the No. 11-ranked team in the NAIA, improves to 7-1 overall and moves into sole possession of first place in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest League at 5-0.
Senior wide receiver Nick Fuhler (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) (New Baden, Ill./Wesclin) set career highs with five catches and 117 receiving yards, while senior running back Joe Beimfohr (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) rushed for a team-leading 127 yards on 19 carries in the win. Fuhler also caught a touchdown pass from junior tight end Byron Gettis (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) out of the Bearcats' “Royal Package”.
“Nick had some big catches for us today,” said McKendree head football coach Carl Poelker. “We had some drops early in the game, but Nick had some key first-down catches on important drives.”
By winning its last seven contests, McKendree has put together its longest win streak since the 2004 season, when the Bearcats ended the season on an eight-game tear.
The McKendree defense, which forced five turnovers in its 66-0 victory against Waldorf College, had just one takeaway against William Penn, but it resulted in seven points. Junior linebacker Jason Rejfek (Arlington Heights, IL/John Hersey) (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) recovered a fumble at the Statesmen 30-yard line. McKendree scored eight plays later on a touchdown pass from sophomore Austin Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) (Washington, Ill./Washington) to sophomore wide receiver Robby Mosher (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart-Griffin) (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart-Griffin) to give the Bearcats their 21-point advantage midway through the third quarter.
Saturday's game was scoreless until late in the first half, when McKendree put together a 15-play, 81-yard drive. Beimfohr capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown run, and senior Jordan Fark (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) added the extra point to give the Bearcats a 7-0 lead with just 13.1 seconds to go until halftime.
William Penn (5-4, 3-2 MSFA Midwest League) returned the kickoff to midfield, and the Statesmen took a shot at the end zone on the final play of the half. Quarterback Ryan Van Dalen launched a deep pass down the middle to Skyler Crouch, who made a diving catch near the goal line. The officials spotted the ball inside the one-yard line, enabling McKendree to head to the intermission with a seven-point lead.
McKendree took the second-half kickoff and marched 86 yards in eight plays to build a 14-0 lead. On the final play of the drive, Gettis took the snap, rolled to his right and hit Fuhler in-stride for a 35-yard touchdown pass. It was the first career TD toss for Gettis, a former outfielder for the Kansas City Royals.
Rejfek then recovered a fumble on William Penn's first play from scrimmage following the Fuhler TD catch, and Mosher's scoring play gave McKendree a 21-0 lead with 6:41 left in the third quarter.
William Penn answered on its next possession when Van Dalen scored on a one-yard TD plunge to cut the Statesmen's deficit to 21-7. Four minutes into the fourth quarter, Travion Johnson scored from nine yards out to bring William Penn within 21-14.
The Bearcats responded with another long drive, and Fark booted a 21-yard field goal to extend McKendree's lead back to 10 points. McKendree then left it up to its defense, and the unit responded by stopping the Statesmen's final drive on a fourth-and-short play with just under three minutes remaining.
“We knew going in we couldn't stop their offense totally,” said Poelker. “But we knew we could make plays against them, and we came up with some big stops, especially in the second half.”
Van Dalen rushed for a game-high 138 yards on 18 attempts. He also completed 6-of-12 pass attempts for 80 yards. For McKendree, Fisher was 10-of-19 for 161 yards.
Defensively, junior Antonio Greer (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) (Cahokia, Ill./Cahokia) led the way with nine tackles, while senior defensive end Derrell Nicholas (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) (Bloomington, Ill./Bloomington) and senior linebacker Heath Bohannon (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) each chipped in with seven tackles.
McKendree will play host to Quincy University next Saturday at Leemon Field. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. It will be Senior Day at McKendree, with a special post-game ceremony scheduled to honor the 24 Bearcat seniors appearing in their final regular-season home contest.
-McK-
